Season's greetings from all of our staff here at Panther Sports Medicine. We would like to take this moment to say thank you for choosing us. We appreciate your loyalty and we are thrilled at the opportunity to continue serving you going into 2022 and beyond!
Here at Panther Sports Medicine, we pride ourselves on being a Calgary-run business. As such, we consistently aim to offer affordable, high-quality physiotherapy treatment to all Calgarians for their rehabilitation needs.
We hope you have a safe holiday season, and to help ensure this, we have compiled a list of 6 tips for a happy and healthy holiday!
1. Don’t Forget to Stretch
Prior to exercise (or even before just beginning your day), engaging in a 5 or 10-minute stretching routine can loosen up your muscles and help your body become more limber. This is important because inactive muscles are tight and stiff, and when you attempt to impose strenuous physical demands upon them without warming them up first (via stretching), the sudden exertion can result in injury. To circumvent this, ensure that you have some type of stretching routine in place that you can implement.
2. Don’t Sit for Too Long
Yes, the holidays are a time for relaxation with friends and family; drinks, laughs, good food, etc. However, one thing you may want to avoid is sitting for extended periods of time during the holidays. The reason being is that many negative side effects associated with sitting will become more prevalent.
Sitting for too long can weaken your legs and glutes, tighten up your hips and back; create poor posture, and even stiffen up your neck and shoulders. Ensure that you’re moving around and keeping the blood flowing during the holidays, the rest of your body will thank you.
3. Breathe
Learning to properly breathe is a skill that will result in more peace and tranquillity in the body. Most of us don’t think twice about breathing since it’s such a natural act. However, intentional breathing offers many benefits. By slowing down your breaths, becoming conscious of the inhale and exhale, breathing in deep and in a controlled manner, etc, you will ease body tension, promote calmness, and enhance your energy level. And all of these outcomes are things you’ll need in abundance during the holidays!
4. Decompress
As amazing and joyous as the holidays are, they certainly don’t come without their downsides. And the main drawback? Stress. Family gatherings, financial straits, expectations, etc. There’s a lot going on besides gift-giving during the holidays. With this in mind, be sure to take time for yourself to alleviate some of the pressure. You can do this in a multitude of ways:
- Have a quick workout: It doesn’t matter if it’s a 5-minute walk around your block or a 45-minute exercise session with weights and cardio, getting the body moving via exercise will help you feel better.
- Do a 10-minute meditation: Mindfulness can help you relax and recompose yourself in times of stress and overwhelm
- Delegate tasks: Don’t do it all yourself, ask for help.
- Say ‘no’ every once in a while: Really, this is okay. Those who “need” your attention can wait 5 minutes for you to cool off.
- Don’t go overboard on the sugar: Yes, have your fun, eat your cake and cookies -- it is the holidays after all. Just don’t binge, the bloated stomach and subsequent guilt are not worth it.
5. Stay Warm!
If you plan on enjoying any outdoor festivities or activities with family this holiday season -- stay warm! Dress in layers, ensure everyone brings their scarves, boots, mittens, toques, etc. With the holidays comes colder weather, and colder weather can be really harsh on your body, resulting in frostbite, confusion, lack of coordination, and more. So be sure that you and your family are properly prepared for the weather this holiday season.
6. Ease the Pain of Travel
Everyone is familiar with the typical aches and pains so often associated with travel. The stiff neck, the tight shoulders, the achy back, the list goes on. If you happen to be doing any travelling this holiday season, you can ease the pain with a few simple tips.
- Use a foam roller: This is a great tool for relieving backaches. You can press up against it nonchalantly in your seat while travelling to ease the stiffness you’re sure to acquire from the time spent in your seat (a tennis ball works really well too).
- Don’t sit still: Once you are safe to begin moving within the aircraft -- do it. Go for a mini-walk, move around, get the blood pumping. You’ll feel better and less restricted
- Support roll: This is a great option for supporting your back, spine, and neck. Its ease of use, comfortability, and versatility make it a handy tool not just for travelling, but to have in general.
Conclusion
Give the gift of physiotherapy and rehabilitation this holiday to a loved one, it’s something that will truly demonstrate your appreciation.
And lastly, we appreciate your interest in Panther Sports Medicine, and we invite you to take the leap to good health and learn more about our company and how we can help improve your health. We have 10 convenient locations in Calgary. Find a location near you and book an appointment with us in the new year!
